This was the
film which catapulted the success of the screwball comedy genre in the 1930s,
not to mention its impact on the sales of undershirts in America. Made just prior to the
days of Production Code censorship and restriction, It Happened One Night has a sequence which doesn’t seem anything
but mild by today’s standards, but might have been cut had the film been made a
year later. The scene featured Clark Gable’s character undressing, and this
dashing star’s missing undershirt in this sequence suddenly gave men all over
the country to skimp on this article, either for fashion or frugality.

Certain cultural
figures never truly leave the limelight, and it feels as though there is
renewed interest in their celebrity every few years through various documentary
and film projects. These icons most commonly include John Lennon, Bruce Lee and
Muhammad Ali. The latter of these three has been given another documentary
feature to praise his accomplishments, though I Am Ali does little to add to
the cultural significance of the man. Aside from the rehashing of familiar
material, the main draw of I Am Ali is commentary from those closest to him and
private recordings of personal conversations with family members. For those who
have no need to hear one of the greatest boxers talking in a baby voice for his
children, any of the other documentaries will likely suffice.

21 Jump
Street seemed like a terrible idea, along with
The Dukes of Hazzard, Starsky & Hutch and every other
television-to-film adaptation from decades past. In the end, it was the film’s
unwillingness to take the material seriously which was ultimately the saving
grace, which is why it makes sense for the post-modern, self-referential style
to carry the sequel into successful comedic territory. Rather than just
creating a straightforward second installment in the franchise, this quickly
becomes a comedy about the ridiculousness of all buddy-action sequels. The
impact of this humor was also far greater before the news of another sequel in
the works, especially since the end of this film is dedicated to poking fun at
that very prospect.

Road trip films
are often far more interested in the journey than the destination, but the
Icelandic setting of Land Ho! makes
each step of the trip feel like an arrival of sorts. The plot is minimal
between the two old friends on the trip together, so all focus is on the
character development, and the scenery often feels as though it has a
supporting role in the narrative. This is not unlike many other road
trip/vacation buddy comedies, though it does begin to feel like a travelogue
for Iceland
at certain points in the meandering screenplay.

Donnie Yen has
somehow gone from one of the most impressive martial arts action stars working
today to becoming nothing more than a celebrity face for the latest CGI-filled
blockbuster in Chinese cinema. Iceman is the latest of these poorly constructed
vehicles of mass entertainment, mashing up period costume drama with modern
police procedural, all filtered through the expectations of logic usually
lowered for a comic book movie. There is action and humor every
fifteen-minutes, all meant to entertain while distracting from the
ridiculousness bursting from every frame of this film. And just in case the
open-ended resolution of the film’s climax doesn’t completely turn away the
audience, there are plans for a sequel to follow.